IAM Local 700 Member Leads Connecticut AFL-CIO

The Machinists Union applauds the election of IAM Local 700 member Lori Pelletier to become the next Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Connecticut AFL-CIO.

Pelletier becomes the first openly gay woman to lead a state labor federation in the United States. She is the co-president of Pride at Work, an AFL-CIO constituency group that supports lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender workers.

“For close to three decades, Lori Pelletier has fought for IAM members and working families in Connecticut,” said IAM International President Buffenbarger. “The Connecticut AFL-CIO will be well-served by such a devoted public servant and strong voice for equal rights and the middle class.”

Before becoming Secretary-Treasurer of the Connecticut AFL-CIO in 1999, Pelletier worked in the quality assurance department at Pratt & Whitney’s plant in Middletown, CT. After joining the IAM in 1986, she served as Shop Steward, Recording Secretary and eventually Vice President of her local.

Pelletier was also a delegate to the Connecticut State Council of Machinists and the New England Conference of Machinists, and has served the IAM on political, legislative and organizing initiatives. She was appointed to the Blue Ribbon Commission by President Buffenbarger and has been honored by the Coalition of Labor Union Women twice.

Currently, Pelletier serves on the Board of the Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund (CWEALF), a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to empowering women, girls and their families to achieve equal opportunities in their personal and professional lives. She also represents the Connecticut AFL-CIO on the executive committee of Citizens for Economic Opportunity and serves as Vice-Chair of the Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut.

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